7 books every beauty lover needs to read

7 books every beauty lover needs to read: Making Faces

Image by: ELLE Canada
By: Carli Whitwell
Source: Amazon

Glance at any beauty lover’s bookshelf (or coffee table) and you’ll find this classic. In it, the late makeup artist Kevyn Aucoin shares a wealth of insider tips and uplifting advice. Here's one of beauty director Vanessa Craft’s favourite quotes from the book: “Beauty is about perception, not about makeup. You can’t put on your makeup or dress yourself or do your hair with any sort of fun or joy if you’re doing it from a position of correction." Making Faces by Kevyn Aucoin ($26), at sephora.com. READ MORE: Could dry shampoo be ruining your hair?

7 books every beauty lover needs to read: Sex and the Single Girl

Image by: ELLE Canada
By: Carli Whitwell
Source: Amazon

This modern women’s playbook, written in 1962 by Helen Gurley Brown, was ahead of its time. Forty years later, its meditations on beauty and fashion as well as love and independence remain deliciously relevant. (Editor's note: we don't advocate following all of her advice!) Sex and the Single Girl by Helen Gurley Brown ($42.09), at amazon.ca. READ MORE: Hair upgrades for every comfort level

7 books every beauty lover needs to read: Bobbi Brown: Teenage Beauty

Image by: ELLE Canada
By: Carli Whitwell
Source: Indigo

Whether you’re a tomboy dipping a tepid toe into makeup or born with a knack for drawing the perfect cat eye, this book has a wealth of age-appropriate looks and techniques for teens. Bobbi Brown Teenage Beauty: Everything You Need to Look Pretty, Natural, Sexy and Awesome ($18.53), at chapters.indigo.ca. READ MORE: 7 beauty secrets from Gisele’s makeup artist

7 books every beauty lover needs to read: The French Beauty Solution

Part of the reason beauty editors are so obsessed with the skincare brand Caudalie is thanks to its charming co-owner Mathilde Thomas. That’s why we raced to stores to pick up her insider look at French women's approach to beauty. The French Beauty Solution ($18.36), at amazon.ca. READ MORE: How one ELLE Canada staffer learned to love her butt

7 books every beauty lover needs to read: The Beauty Myth

Image by: ELLE Canada
By: Carli Whitwell
Source: Amazon

Alright, so this is a bit of a heavier read, but it’s one every feminist should peruse. Naomi Wolf analyzes the length women go to for beauty – from plastic surgery to eating disorders. The Beauty Myth ($20.25), at chapters.indigo.ca. READ MORE: A year in Kylie Jenner's hairstyles

7 books every beauty lover needs to read: Free Gift With Purchase

The former Lucky beauty director penned this charming memoir about life in the beauty industry in 2007. June Godfrey-June was recently snatched up by Goop, so here’s hoping she’ll write another epic soon! Free Gift with Purchase: My Improbable Career in Magazines and Makeup ($12.16) at indigo.chapters.ca. READ MORE: 34 of Beyoncé's best beauty Instagrams this year